Dear Friends of the Marianist Family Retreat Center,

 God continues to grace us all. We again approach a season of Family summer retreats with great hope and excitement. The late winter and spring have been a wonderful season of ministry, touching the lives of many and being touched by all who have come to Mary’s house. Again, I am especially thankful for our staff and gifted volunteers who witness and radiate God’s grace and Mary’s love to all who visit the Center. In intentional ways the staff and volunteers prayerfully develop programs, welcome guests, make presentations, maintain the property, prepare and lead music and song, celebrate Eucharist, and be a comfort when one needs special attention. God does use our staff and volunteers to bring faith, hope and love to all.

“What I can do, you cannot.

What you can do, I cannot.

But together we can do something

beautiful for God.” Mother Teresa

I continue to experience and see the Holy Spirit in the people of God, working together, and contributing their unique talents and gifts. Staff, board members, retreatants from all walks of life, married, single, young and old, professed religious and lay individuals, a variety of ethnic cultures and backgrounds, from different communities of the world, come together all doing something beautiful for God. I am grateful and in awe.   

At the same time I hear the world calling us, the Church calling us, your community is calling you, to take this extraordinary togetherness that you experienced and share it. Build on it, embrace it, welcome and invite others to it, and build something beautiful for God. Make it intentional and an area that you are able to share your talents and giftedness. We are all busy, but what beautiful something needs to be done for God that only you can do?

I share my sincere thanks to all that have made the new dining room extension recently dedicated possible. It will serve the Center’s needs well and allow more accessibility for all those in need and allow for a greater safety in the serving of meals especially with children. On behalf of the Board of Directors we are very appreciative of the generosity of the friends Mary’s house.  We are blessed.

I welcome our new board members who will be joining us this Fall . Jim Montavon from Wallingford, PA, Sharon Browning from Philadelphia, PA and Sue Kovach from Edison, NJ.  We thank them in advance to their willingness to serve and provide the leadership and vision to assist the Center in serving God’s people by offering wide choice of communal retreat experiences in the Marianist Tradition.

Have a blessed summer, enjoy the wonders of God’s life and continue to grow in your relationship with Mary allowing her to lead you to a love for Jesus. Please always keep us in your prayers. 

Peace, 

Tony Fitzgerald